A crumbling tower: Sony lays siege to the 360's weak spots

It wouldn't be accurate to say that the sky is falling for Microsoft's one and only gaming console, the 360, but it may be time to look at what the company is doing right... and where it's going wrong. The Sony PlayStation 3 is beginning to chip away at the 360's lead in both software and hardware sales in the US, and that system only seems to be picking up steam. In contrast, the 360 doesn't seem to have much real momentum these days.

While it's hard to find ways for Microsoft to get its mojo back, we can easily identify a few problem areas that are becoming clear as the 360 ages. These are the weaknesses in Microsoft's strategy that have to be addressed before the system can hope to get its groove back. Let's take a look.

It will be a sad day for gamers worldwide, if the best game machine of this generation gets beat because of a movie format and brand recognition. We can all look forward to over-priced, underperforming, game consoles with an in-house physical media player built in, and overhyped turds for games.

No it's a sad day when calculated attacks and wild spending have kept many gamers stuck in last generation with an outmoded and limiting storage format. It is a sad day when a company has managed to bury the truth about the least dependable console ever made. Ever, as in ever.

It's a sad day when a company preaches community in gaming and then charges for real access to that community and we all know real access is multiplayer.

The pinto as a car was safer and more reliable than the 360 as a console. Think about driving down the road and seeing all of the people that had a Microsoft car along side the road with the hood up. There is no way you would have purchased one. The fact they have been able to snow gamers is a sad day. It is a sad day when MS got in the gate under the wire with their BS warranty that doesn't cover a lot of issues - one step ahead of the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Protection Agency ordering a nationwide recall.

It is a sad day when gamers are fooled by a Final Fantasy announcement at E3 that amounts to nothing yet it was blown out of all proportion.

It's Microsoft, "We're about flashy things and announcements rather than substance." It is a sad day when gamers are fooled by a company that only plans for next week and not next year.

It is a really sad day when a company puts out a console and people sink thousands of dollars into said console and then the same greedy company drops the console with no phase out time at all leaving owners dead in the water. That's sad.

It's a sad day when a company pushes a format, gets gamers to buy into it - and it was gamers buying those HD DVD add-ons and then the company is unwilling to do what is necessary to secure that gamer's investment and make sure that format won. MS got an F in the effort department of the format wars.

About 70% of the time MS screws customers by their actions. The other 30% of the time they screw customers by failing to act.

People complaining about Bluray = sore losers. No one can look at MGS4 and honestly say Bluray doesn't make for better games. Well, they can say it but they are liars and in disagreement with the vast majority of the industry. They can look at Resistance 2 and see the same benefits. R2, a game with room on the disk for not just 1, but 2 full blown campaigns. Of course they could just use DVD9 and then charge you for a downloadable later.

Let's look at that car analogy again. Would you buy a car from a company that made a model then at the end of 4 years just dropped that car like a rock? And then that company has the audacity to look at you with a straight face and ask you to buy the new one when that next model was leaving countless drivers stranded along the road? No. The fact that a company, MS, has managed to full a fair number of people is a sad day indeed.

Explain yourself. Sony has already shoved an in-house blu-ray movie player up gamers as*es, starting at $600 a pop. 90% of multi-plats for ps3 under perform compared to the competition. And explain why hyped AAA ps3 exclusives like Motorstorm, Heavenly Sword, Uncharted, Haze, and Lair didn't make the grade.

Do you people honestly want gaming to go in this direction? I certainly don't. I've been playing a console that might not have a built in hd movie player, or the name recognition that the Playstation name does, but what it does have is the best games and gaming experience of this generation. I find it disturbing that the market leader of last generation chose to put getting their in-house movie format into the mainstream, using gamers as their vehicle, over creating the best console game experience on earth. Is this honestly how you folks believe the former market leader should treat our favorite hobby?

edit-morganfell, you should either stop gaming, or go dangle off a bridge with a rope around your neck. You aren't thinking of the future of gaming, you are hiding in Sony's rectum where you feel warm. You are pulling opinions, selective critism, and speculation out of your a*s like it's your dinner.

I stopped reading after- "why are you stealing comments bango? i read this same words from peeps about dvd players in teh ps2 and look wat that turned out tobe"

LMAO

The f*ck you did. Dvd was already an established movie format before the ps2 even launched. Now blu-ray, is an in-house Sony engineered movie format that debuted in the ps3, and was forcibly shoved up gamers a*ses at $600 a pop at launch.

Bangladesh is right. Sony fanboys are trying to destroy the one console that has actually made gaming it's most important and strongest feature. A last generation loser is behaving more like the market leader this gen, than last gens market leader. You kids need to pull off Sony's teate.

Also, did anyone else notice how Morganfell talks up Sony's hardware reliability, but conviently chooses not to mention that PS2 was the most unreliable console last-gen. That's selective critism Morgan, and Bang called you on it.

I can tell you that MGS4 would have been a better game with 18GB of gameplay instead of 18GB of cutsceens. And Resistance is a generic shooter, no two ways about it. My ps3 collects dust, but my 360 gets brutalized by my gaming habit.

jonondaspot does not like to be disagreed with, you will be muted in his world if you don't agree with him. He takes the easy way out.

I got one thing to say about this whole DvD/Blu-ray thing....If you compare DvDs with Blu-ray when it comes to becoming a standard for movies, I honestly think you are on crack. DvD took 10 years to officially take down VHS as a home video standard. Blu-Ray is a HD standard now and still has a long long way to go before it is a video standard. And by that time it will have a whole other fight in its hands with Digital Distribution.

When it comes to our beloved consoles and the market of selling games and Sony and MS picking at each others weak points, I want more of it. I want Sony to figure out how to hurt MS so it will push MS to want to be better and in turn push them to attack Sony to hurt them making them want to be better. That is the only way we can guarantee quality products and services from both sides. IF one console is ruling them all, it turns to sh*t, look at the Atari 2600 and the Wii.

In the end I'm just happy our amazing video games industry can survive with so much competition, we have come a long way. Game on!

Sorry man, but for me, and an increasingy growing number of people-including the US the 360's homeland, the PS3 just represents value.

The Blu-ray is not an unwanted edition, it adds MORE VALUE. I want my system to do more than games. So does Microsoft. They just wanted to make as much money as possible and get a year lead and were stubborn so they didnt include it and chose the failed format.

THEY JUST ANNOUNCED A PARTNERSHIP WITH NETFLIX. Dont give me that "theyre just focussed on the games".They want the movie/media centre thing BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT THE MOVIE THING with theri consoles==CONVERGENCE. People dont want to have fifty thousand diffent boxes, just one that handles everything. These are HIGH DEFINITION Gaming Sytems. You are supposed to use HIGH DEFINITION TV's. So what else makes complete sense... HIGH DEFINITION MOVIES.

Blu-Ray was not shoved up anyone's arse. The Industry has created a need for High Definition TV's, which has led to demand for high definition movies. You didnt have to buy a PS3.

Blu-ray on PS3 is not a con, its a PLUS. Even if PS3 wasnt any stronger as a console and lets say for argument's sake they are equal (and we can see they are pretty much equal based on multiplats,even those that were better on 360 in the beginning were not that much better):

-for like $50 more you get the same as a 360 (Minus the noise and potential hardware failures/searching for SKUS that have Falcon/whatever chipset) -plus a Blu-ray worth at least $300. -AND you dont have to pay $50 a year for online gaming. -AND you get USB rechargeable controllers. -AND you can exchange the HD to whatever you want, stick 500GB in and store tons of content. -AND you get a wireless card built in -AND you can use any bluetooth perepherals e.g. your own bluetooth headset. -AND you now get 20GB more standard with the console.

People argue "oh, but I dont want those extras and you're forced to by Sony". True, but you'd be a fool not to take up Sony's deal. And it seems more and more are getting it, with articles left right and centre telling MS to watch their back, reflected in sales figures.

The Sony brand which has gained the recognition it has (which has suffered) from delivering fun games spanning 15 years. It takes time and effort to get the recognition Sony has.

The benefits of space are not some sony fabricate myth. More and more are saying they need more space on 360, and im sure Epic would come out too but they have been paid big not by MS it is safe to assume. It is not just sony exclusive devs anymore but multi like ID, like ROCKSTAR. These are facts.

Digital distribution en masse is not a threat to Sony, theyre embracing it. Theyre offereing the best of both worlds. WHO is the first to offer full-scale high definition games via download?? NOT MS, despite their 'digital distribution is the future'.

...People are realizing the PS3 is a much more better Console to buy;) People could save so much money if they use there Minds!!! ;-D If they want xBox 360 games, just get 99% of them for your P.C??? And buy a PS3 with a Blu-ray player inside ready for their HD:TV's they will be buying!!!;) It's WIN WIN WIN if you buy a... .____....____....____ |.......|...|................ .| |____|...|____....____| |...................|........ .| |............____|...____| ;-P

No wonder the xBox 360 is Crumbling!!! ;-D (just like the Original xBox!!! ;-D Where is it now???) ;-D +It can't even beat the 'Wii'[TOY]!!! at it's lower price!!! SAD!!! ;-D (i lost a Bubble for saying that yesterday!!!) ;-D

Ho ho ho nate do not get me started or else I can talk about how every single game on the 360 would have been better had they had more physical storage room. Whether it is PGR 4 - and that was Bizarre's mention concerning lack of room, or GTA. There is always fault that can be found, always room for improvement in any design. Should I discuss how the 360 would have been better with a proper design that didn't cause the unit to die...a lot? How about HDMI built in at launch? Or a next gen player that would have changed the format war? How about a larger HDD from eh start? Or wireless? How about KB/M support for gaming?

And Skatie Microsoft is getting what is coming to them. It isn't someone attacking the 360 by trumping up charges, it is the fact it is outmoded. It made it to the street first. That was the center of the MS plan. If you noticed it was their number one goal. Second was the gaming experience. You may make it to the street first but unless Gaming Experience was first from the conception stage then you won't rule the street. And the MS plan was predicated upon victory through timing...not quality.

Sorry you don't like that idea but it was Microsoft's plan, not mine. Get the gamers hooked by being first. My idea is get the gamers through what you offer but that is just me...and Sony.

If people were out trying to destroy the 360 by attacking it's positive points then that would be...well... a tactic MS uses to attack Sony and one your own fellow 360 fans use such an technique attacking Bluray. But that isn't the case here. Legitimate issues that are shortcomings are the problem and they are matters that don't have to be invented. Also Microsoft's short term vision that is long on promise and short on execution is to blame.

Freckler, that guy called no one out. In fact Jon called him out...repeatedly. He asked for people to explain why they disagreed then admitted he didn't read the explanation for which he asked. That is just idiotic. I think the appropriate line here would be, "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!"

The fairly simple explanation for his actions are that people are buying the PS3 at a higher price point (misperception)and he doesn't understand why. He also insisted Sony shoved the PS3 on people and forced them to buy it. And he was called out on that and he offered not one, not one single article on Sony forcing people to buy a PS3. His issue is that people buy the PS3 and he can't understand why.

I do laugh at him for quoting a higher price point and he was, yes once again, called out on the fact that if you want a full experience then the 360 is a higher priced machine. His angst is the result of other buyers having a better perspective of actual cost. Want an equivalent of his outlook? PS3 fans are the ones that invest in a portfolio while he is running down to a local check cashing facility.

Personally I am glad such people can't see the obvious. That is one less moron I have to game with on PSN.

For the billionth time on this board it is amazing that many 360 supporters are trying to wave their hands and pretend that Live and a wireless adapter and a the only larger HDD MS offers do not cost money. They do and they drive the price of the 360 well beyond the PS3. If every 360 had a drive - and many have none - just beyond the paltry 13 GB drive in them (because that is the most you can use) then the HDD wouldn't be a huge issue. An issue but not huge. But the fact MS doesn't allow devs to use it does matter. Add to tha the fact 1 movie download and some demos leaves the user with no space. Of course the argument is that 13 GB beats nothing. Isn't that right Arcade owners?

Just like Sony's vision, the pricing on the PS3 takes into account the long term. Just like Microsoft's vision, the price of the 360 is about the short term - "Aw don't worry, you can pay for that part later." Yeah that sounds like a deal but is in fact the oldest and least reputable piece of marketing in any industry. I have coined a new phrase for it - Scamary. Buy now pay later and I mean pay a lot more than the buy now.

@bang i disagree with you so ill explain why, Your a delusioned fool that is blind to truth. and that is your precious Xbox is just a small trick pony that bought its way in to the industry and fooled brain dead kids like you with delusioned lies of grander.

If u cant understand that i sure hope you dont breed. but hey brain dead monkey always out number the sane.

and @ Morgan ouch! go easy on the Xbots guys they might go postal and kill them selves.....

You guys say that Ps3 is the premier game machine of this generation right?

You guys are brainwashed, and I'm about to prove it. Nevermind the features and functions PSN is missing. And nevermind the extra hardware that folks without broadband and hdtv's are forced to pay for. Let's look at what's important, games.

Not only does the 360 have more quality games than Ps3 & Wii, but the 360 has more games with a meta score of 7 or higher than there are total games in the Ps3's entire library.

See, you guys are brainwashed "Sony Droids", and you are trying to destroy the one console that has brung the most important aspect of gaming, the games. I think that all of should quit gaming immediately, or should have your as*ses beat for being the cancer that is killing off the console that should be in every gamers collection. Would any of you like to get together and talk about this subject in person, namely Morganfell or Sir Ken Kutaragi?

Nice job braintrust. Now let ask you which is more important. The actual number of quality games, or the quality v/s shovelware percentage. The only thing you did there was make yourself look like a anal prick grasping for straws, just like the author of the article you posted.

And Zapass, how about we get together and see if you still have the stones to talk to me like that. And be sure to bring your multiple accounts with you.

What kind of BS is that?. MS the best gaming platform holder?. Are you serious?. What the f*ck has MS brought to gaming this gen?. DVD drive? 33% failure rate?. Still charging for Live?.Gears 3rd party IP. Mass effect 3rd party IP. Bioshock Multi plat form. NG2 almost the same as NG1. What has MS offered gamers that is so much better this gen?. Nothing.

Sony. Cell, Blu ray player,HDMI 1.3 port, Rock solid reliability, a Hosts of new IP's which includes Resistance, HS, Uncharted, MS sofar. Free and improving online with Home to be implemented. Sony has done alot more for gaming this gen.

And yet you have the nerve to attack Sony for thinking about gamers. Get it into your tick skull. Blu is needed this gen. Just like CD was needed for PS1 and DVD was needed for PS2. Even a 10 year old can understand this. Next gen = more complex games means more space required. How hard is this to understand?.

Sony could have easily released a PS 2.5 with a DVD9 and launched it together with the x360 which would have killed the x360 right there on the spot but they didn't. They didn't want to release a PS 2.5 that will not benefit gamers in the long run. They wanted to release the PS3 even at their own expense and loosing a year head start to MS.

You must have your head sofar up MS ass for you to not really see how things really are. Get a grip clown.

from ur first post it shows that u r a bot, and an original type too!!! u cant hide the fact that u dont own a ps3 and that u r a ps3 hater!!! when ps2 was dominating the gaming industry was at its best!! and when MS dominate something that industry becomes the worst!!

MS had their biggest chance in life in 2007, and still ps3 outsold it!! 2007 was the peak that MS ever had!! from now on it will only get worst!! even if they offer the new 360 60GB for 300 USD!!!

i don't know about any of the their other articles, but this one seemed very fair. they were very critical of MS but they stated facts and didn't go over board or out of bounds on anything. of course the x......people won't like it but you can't please everybody all the time. i'd like to see MS step their game up.

The 360 has no soul. Microsoft goes around paying for the biggest games from the previous generation. It doesn't work that way in the gaming industry. You can't just throw around money. The is no specific formula for success. The top game franchises for each generation are different. GTA this generation was not as big as a deal as GTA on the PS2/XBOX. Little Big Planet is going to be that game and Microsoft doesn't have it.

But darn it I was just about to trade-in my Wii for a 360 like THIS WEEK for RPGs. I still will, but why does the media have to start declaring the sky is falling now when I want to buy it. Maybe I'm bad luck. Bought a PS3 at launch and look what happened to Sony. Supported Dreamcast and now when I want a 360, BOOM! The foundation crumbles! lol.

this is probably the most real and sane articles on here recently it makes sense and points out the truth that 360 gamers ain't got the rattle to point out its not fanboyish it points out FACTS and real points.

LOL he is just now figuring out that site is a tabloid quality website(arstechnica) looking for hits.

Has anybody noticed the repeated attempts to post anti 360 news?, good lord the failed section is filled with stories PS3 fans are digging up. I don't think the July's NPD results are causing this behavior anymore, I think it is this month and SEP numbers that have them acting like this.

They're just saying whay PS3 fans wan't to hear, it is funny how fans and media only mention GOW2 for 360 but will name off every PS3 game that looks good.

them 20k more a month in the us will surely help sony catch up the 5mil they are behind sometime in the next millenium.....

what i also find strange is how everybody was waiting for the new 80gig ps3 explaining the low sales. but choose to ignore that the new 60gig 360 was coming aswell? why is that? perhaps a collective amnesia has gripped the fanboys.

Doesnt need hits from gamers. They have a huge following and are generally aimed at tech heads. They are also far from biased... they rated ps3 6/10, then recently re-reviewed in light of amendments, which is a good thing.

360 fans might thik they have an agenda cause they recently put that article regards sales. They dont and will happily rip into ps3 games that dont make the cut. These recent articles are just a reflection of the times and facts ie. 360 is getting caned, and the momentum ps3 is getting so theyre writing about it. Plain and simple.

This article is biased and has no credible facts. The PS3 is slowly dying away because nobody wants an overpriced bluray player that maybe can play some bad games at 2 fps. Bluray is a dead format anyways. I walked into my local Best Buy and saw shelves full of HD DVD and Bluray was having a clearence sale. HAHA, so much for it winning the format war.

The 360 is the best selling console (and the best console) and will continue to grow its lead while the PS3 falls. I think we will see more and more devs abandon the PS3 because they realize how much it holds them back. And more and more consumers will realize how useless the PS3 is and buy the 360.

its a well written look at the faults in the 360 and the challenges it must battle in the future, its not 360 bashing, its pointing out the problems its currently facing....stop being a fanboy, and be open to criticism

This individual has just scored himself a spot on the awards podium with the most retarded comments ever lodged by screwhead xbots in the history of gaming. The fact is there is no arguing with allegiance so blind it takes irrefutable facts and figures and just tosses them out the door.

There are 3 Best Buys within 20 minutes of my house. The closest has no HD DVDs left in stock. The others, maybe a few but I always check the DVD section and do not recall seeing any. I wonder what Best Buy he was visiting. He is following the age old pattern of "When desperation strikes, throw truth to the wind and lie with gusto". At this moment there is no better description for him than that of liar.

Quite honestly I am responding to Pirate Thom and zo6 as the remarks by that unit do not warrant a direct response.

He should also be aware that there are some individuals in the accounting department of Nintendo that will set him straight as regards which is the best selling console. Note that I mention this fact strictly for entertainment purposes as my opinion of the Wii as a core gaming device is actually fairy low.

He is also in the throes of fanboy denial about the fact that the PS3 outsold the 360 worldwide in 2007. My figures are based on the official figures released by Sony and Microsoft rather than the wild and blind idiocy engendered and nurtured through long nights in a closet with a red hot, non-functioning 360. 2008 has only shown acceleration of the PS3 momentum and the taking of the last 360 stronghold, North America.

And while we are discussing 'best console' the words dependability and future proof have to be included. He also will deny industry findings that Bluray adoption is outpacing that of DVD. He will deny that more devs are turning to the PS3, not away. Rest assured that the real loser at the end of the day is him and anyone stupid enough to accord anything he utters a shred of truth.

Argument with bucketheads of this nature is fruitless as their blindness has no treatment available through the mediums of science or sheer common sense. I ignore people based on the fruitlessness of their comments. If ever there was a poster demanding to be ignored, this creature is one.

As regards the article, what can be said. It is accurate and that is why certain people are squirming. Once you get past Gears of War 2, what is there? I can buy any game I choose and I am not interested in it. I have somewhere in the area of $1500 in games reserved right now. No Gears 2. If I want to play that I have the first one thank you.

...Oh yes it does. How is it not credible when it just described what's going on now in a nutshell? The PS3 is destroying the 360 in the United States. Microsoft can barely hold on in Japan and they'd be lucky if their other rpg's move the Japanese even further. They just got owned in Europe and the only territory they're holding is the U.K.

"The PS3 is slowly dying away because nobody wants an overpriced bluray player that maybe can play some bad games at 2 fps."

You're full of sh*t chump.

People are not just buying PS3's for bluray. They're buying it for games as well. You can no longer say that the PS3 is just a cheap bluray player when it has games. You can no longer say the 360 has the most games because most of them are SH*TTY.

How is it that I only want a few rpg's and NG2 this Christmas? Nothing else in the 360 lineup impresses me. Most of the games that are coming out are also on the PS3.

Your argument is baseless.

"Bluray is a dead format anyways."

What the f*ck? Then how did it KICK THE HELL OUT OF HD-DVD?!

Oh man...you are out of your damn mind.

"I walked into my local Best Buy and saw shelves full of HD DVD and Bluray was having a clearence sale."

Yeah...sure.

And I'm a female pope.

"HAHA, so much for it winning the format war."

They did win the format war you f*cktard. Lolllllz, get a brain...duuuur! How come Square is releasing Advent Children Complete on bluray? If they're planning on doing that, then they must have realized Sony won the format war!

"The 360 is the best selling console (and the best console) and will continue to grow its lead while the PS3 falls."

It *was* the best, until Sony stopped screwing around and started delivering on their promises. Now, the 360 has some true competition stemming from the PS3.

The 360 *will not* grow in their lead because they are slowly losing territories jackass.

"I think we will see more and more devs abandon the PS3 because they realize how much it holds them back."

I think you are a moron and you need to do research. Do I even have to pull out that good ol' article from the developers working on Rage? Do I even have to point out what they said about the 360 version of Rage? That it will look better on the PS3 because it has more space and it has a LOT of potential in terms of graphical power?

I don't know about you but if Sony pushes games that are EVEN better than Uncharted and MGS4...then I believe that they just dropped nuclear warheads on the 360.

"And more and more consumers will realize how useless the PS3 is and buy the 360."

how is the PS3 dying? have u forgoten that for the past 6 months the PS3 has beatin 360 in sales not just in japan, not just in Europe, but in the US and in NA? and dont you relize that the PS3 has sold better than the 360 in its first two years? and that big install base the 360 got ONLY because it was out earlyer is quickly diminshing. in just two years the PS3 has eaten away at over half of the 360 install base. and since PS3 sales are better than ever that means that in less than two years the PS3 install base will surpass the 360's EVEN THO the 360 had such a huge head start. and 360 has got Gears 2 and Fable this holiday season. WOOOOW. we got Socom, LBP, RFOM 2, KILLZONE 2, MOTORSTORM 2, and more. i will enjoy all these titles while ur crying in ur room not only becuase you only got two games to look forward to but because u can't even play them because ur still waiting for ur 360 to come back from the repair center.

"Microsoft has spent so much time trying to match Sony's past glory in terms of game selection that it finds itself somewhat at a loss now that Sony has managed to keep some games as exclusives, at the same time it's developing all news ones"

& Live isnt all that it's cracked out to be - "Yes, Xbox Live is better. But how much better? There are large numbers of gamers out there who simply will not pay money for online play and are more than happy with Sony's offerings. So what if you can't send a voice message across games? Sony's newly-launched in-game XMB adds a ton of functionality, and the Trophies it brings seem to be gaining popularity"

Last year about this time, there was all doom and gloom for Sony not to mention their temporary price cut on the superior 60GB PS3 model. This year it is MS doom and gloom... oh, how fast the tide moves. Who knows, by Christmas time with GoW2 and the $200 Arcade bundle the tide might turn again... just to turn again in Sonys favor in an endless cycle.

The way I see it, both platform has plenty to offer and right now it seems both console manufacturers have interresting things on the table. I think it is a stalemate for Sony and MS until the next generation and only Nintendo is the winner here (unfortunately).

Whether you like it or not, and whether arstechnica talked trash about sony or not in earlier articles, they make some pretty valid points about the current state of both companies, and really brings up the point that microsoft simply needs to step it up, sonys downfalls in 07 made it easy for microsoft, but sony is on a major rebond, but of course this will be good for all gamers, sony and microsoft, competition brings out the best of both companies and makes for better games

Each system is different. They don't even have the same graphic chips and stuff. The in game colors they display, the way the game runs, the disc sizes, it's all different. I had a 360 and still have a PS3...and the games Sony make for the PS3 look different than the 3rd party PS3 games and 360 games for that matter. A lot of these 3rd parties can make good games but trying to make sure the game can be the same on both systems doesn't impress me. For almost all the games the past couple years they were made for the 360 and maybe trying to shoehorn a PS3 version in there may have hindered the 360 version too. To really make better games I think a game would need to be made for one system either way, period.

had the xbox never existed then likely GeoW, ME as well as many Microsoft IPs like Halo, would have been ported to the Playstations.

Hardware competition forced sony to lower its consoles price faster than normal, include HDD and improve its net service. This type of competition has nothing to do with the great games we have out there at the moment.

& Live isnt all that it's cracked out to be - "Yes, Xbox Live is better. But how much better? There are large numbers of gamers out there who simply will not pay money for online play and are more than happy with Sony's offerings. So what if you can't send a voice message across games? Sony's newly-launched in-game XMB adds a ton of functionality, and the Trophies it brings seem to be gaining popularity"

360 has games, good online service (can't justify for paying 50 a year) and Microsoft has good customer service if not the best but their Hardware problem is the biggest issue, i think. I have only 3 games on 360 which i don't even play 'coz i want to use my 360 for gears 2. Many of my friends have PS3 and they can surely afford 360 but they just don't buy 360 'coz of hardware problem. You guys must be wondering about MS replacement Plan for 3 years but These people are married and have family. They already have enough things to spend their time on. When they wants to play game, they don't want to look at console and stay on phone with MS about their brand new console which just broke.